Hong Kong Detective Inspector Chan (Simon Yam) has had a bad run. After his witness against triad boss Wong Po (Sammo Hung) has been assassinated, he become the guardian for the witness' child and finds out that he has inoperable brain cancer. On the eve of Chan's retirement, his replacement, D.I. Ma (Donnie Yen), arrives to find that Chan and his team are framing Wong Po for a murder.
The plot for this modern crime thriller is a bit wobbly (the attempt to frame Wong Po is ludicrous) and cliched. However, two factors that make up for the clumsy plot. The first are the strong performances by the three leads: Donnie Yen as a very charismatic young inspector; Simon Yam as the grim vengeful officer; and Sammo Hung, who normally plays the comic roles with Jackie Chan, as the frightening triad boss. The second are the fight scenes, done by the actors without any wire work and minimal special effects. For martial arts fans, the encounter between Ma and triad assassin Jack (Jing Wu) in a back street is a highlight.
Cantonese with English subtitles.
3 out of 5 stars.
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